Filament coiling machine



Nov. 7, 1939. F. B. IDEN FILAMENT COILING MAcHI-NE Filed Oct. 1, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l M H E a H a Z w a 4 a a u 2 4/ 3 m n 3 7 o 3 3 30 4 2 1 0 a a J r w 4 Inventor.

Fred Blden, J's e: .JmA-f 5 His Attorneg.

Nov. 7, I939. F B, IDEN 2,179,296

FILAMENT COILING MACHINE h I Filed Oct. 1. 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Fred B. Iden His Attorneg.

Watented Nov. 7, 1939 FILAMENT comma MAcniNE Fred B. Iden, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignor to General Electric'Company, a corporation of New York Application October 1, 1938, Serial No. 232,823

7 Claims. (01. 153-67) My invention relates to a machine for coiling filaments for electric incandescent lamps and other similar electrical devices. More particularly, my invention relates to a machine for successively forming individual coiled filaments by in Patent 1.771927, G. Illingworth, which issued July 29, 1930.

The formation of coiled lamp filaments is a very exact and difficult operation as the said filaments must be extremely uniform in order to function properly. The filaments must also be economically produced and therefore must be formed at a high rate of speed. These and other objects are most easily attained by the use of a coiling machine of the type disclosed in the abovementioned Illingworth patent which I now provide with a more convenient and accurate apparatus for controlling the pitch of the coiling and with an improved means of starting and stopping the rotation of the coiling head at the start and the end of thecoiling operation for each filament. Another object of my invention is to improve the balance of this type of coiling machine by causing the mandrel to rotate instead of the spool on which uncoiled filament wire is wound.

This type coiling machine has heretofore been used for coiling wire to form the relatively short filaments used on low voltage circuits since the mandrel can only be withdrawn from the filament when sufiicient uncoiling takes place therein to loosen it on the mandrel. Now, however, I find that the machine is equally'as useful for performing the second coiling operation in the manufacture of the coiled-coil filaments used on higher voltage circuits. In coiling the filament a second time, the filament wire and the primary wire mandrel on which it has been first coiled at a uniform rate are preferably treated as a single'wire and are coiled about the removable mandrel of my machine in the normal manner. The manufacture of coiled-coil filament is more exacting because of the greater weight and mass of the filament wire being coiled, the possibility of greater error due to differences in length, and because it is highly important to elminate all irregularities due to the higher temperature of operationv of the filament in a lamp.

The machine comprising my invention is adapted to produce filaments having straight end sections which assist in the proper mounting thereof.

Other features and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows of the species thereof shown in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 isa plan view of a machine comprising my invention; Fig. 2is a vertical section through one of the two coiling mechanisms of the machine; 'Fig. 3 is a perspective view, on a larger scale, of the filament wire clamping jaws, guiding head and a portion of the nose of the coiling head; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the brake for the filament wire supply spool; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of thecams and other operating means of the machine; and Fig. 6 is an end view of the driving gear chain for both coiling heads.

Referring now to Fig, 1, it will be seen that the machine comprises two duplicate coiling mechanisms Ill and II mounted at the front and back respectively of the table I2 and operated in unison by one interconnected mechanical system. In this particular instance, each coiling mechanism is shown performing the second coiling operation in the making of a coiled-coil filament although it can be used to coil singlecoil filaments equally as well since the already coiled filament wire I3 is treated as a single wire. The filament wire I3 which is still coiled on the wire mandrel used in the first coiling operation is contained on the spools I4 and, in each instance as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is drawn between the jaws I5 and I6 and through the nose I! of the head I8. The mandrel I9 on which the filament wire I3 is to be coiled is held by the spindle 20 and extends through the nose 2! of the coiling head 22 to a position adjacent the nose Il' of the head I8.

At the start of a cycle of operation of each of the coiling mechanisms, the end of the filament wire I3 extends a definite distance beyond the nose Ill and the head I8 is advanced toward the mandrel l9 until said filament end is carried through the V-shaped notch 23 and over the plane surface 24 of the nose 2| of the coiling head 22 as shown in Fig. 3. During this movement, the jaws I5 and I6 are closed so that the filament wire 13 is pulled from the spool I4 and the mandrel I9 passes into an aperture in the nose II adjacent that holding the filament wire- I3.

The spool I4 is mounted on the pin 25 which is pivotally mounted in the standard 26 and is kept from overrunning by the brake shown in .Fig. 4 which engages the pin 25. The brake comprises the lower shoe 2'! which is held in position by the pin 28 extending from the standard 26 and the spring 38 also engaging the screws 3| attached to the lower shoe 21. A chamois friction surface 32 is preferably provided betweenthe shoes 21 and 29 and pin 25. The standard 26 is fastened directly to the table I2 so as to remain stationary at all times whereas the jaws I5 and I6 and the head I8 are mounted on the slide or carriage 33 located in ways in said standard 26 in which it is held by the p ates 34 and 35. Jaw I5 is fastened to a portion of the head I8 engaging the slide 33 whereas jaw I6 is movable and is mounted on the end of the pin 36 and rests on the spring 31. The jaw I6 is raised to grip the filament wire I3 by the upward movement of the block 38 which is slidably mounted on the end of the pin 36 and engages the lower end of the spring 31. The block 38 is also fastened to the rod 48 which is slidably mounted in a portion of the head I8 and said block is separated from said head portion by the spring 4| which surrounds the lower end of said rod. The means for actuating the blocks 38 of each of the coiling mechanisms consists of a roller 42 (Fig. 2) mounted through the yoke 43 at one corner of a substantialy horizontally disposed U-shaped arm 44 which is pivoted at its ends on the rod 45 (see Fig. 1) and actuated throughthe universal joints 46 and 41 (Fig. 5), the rod 48, the plate 49 and the roller 58 which engages a slot (not shown) in the cam 5|. The rod 48 and the plate 49 are held in position for-vertical movement by the block 52, which is fastened to another portion of the machine and slidably engages the rod 48, and by the engagement of the snug fitting vertically elongated aperture 53' inthe plate 49 with the cam shaft'53. The cam shaft 53 is driven at a constant rate by means (not shown) and provides the means of operating all portions of the machine.

The movement of the jaws I5, I6 and head I8 is produced by movement of the slide or carriage 33 in the ways of the standard 26 and'is brought about by a downward movement of the cams 54 and55 (Figs. 1 and 5) the sloping surfaces 54', 55' of which are engaged by the rollers 56 and 51 respectively carried by the cross bar 58 on the slide 33. Each of the cams 54 and .55 controls a separate portion of the movementas each extends along a different portion of the slide 68 and is brought into engagement with the rollers 56 and 51 at separate intervals of time. The

slide 33 is pulled to the right by the contracting force of the springs 59-59 which extend between posts in standard 26 and the slide 33 so that either roller 56 or 51 is kept against its cooperating cam 54 or 55 respectively. The cams 54 and 55 are fastened to the slide 68 which is located in ways in standard 26 behind the cover plate 6| and which engages the cam 62 on the cam shaft 53 through the roller 63. The contractive force of the spring 64 which extends between posts in slide 68 and a portion of the frame (not shown) causes the roller 63 to engage the cani 62 at all times.

Following the complete advancing movement of the head I8 which places the end of the filament wire I3 over the, nose 2| of the coiling head 22, the finger 65 in said coiling head is lowered so that said filament end is gripped between the block 66 held by the finger 65 and the planesurface 24 of the nose 2|. The finger 65 is located in a slot in the nose 2| on the pin 61 and is operated through the spring 68 and the arm 69 which is fastened-to the rod 45. The rod 45 is a part of the operating means for the jaws I5 and upper shoe 29 which is pressed down by the leaf I6 and movement of the U arm 44 turning the rod sufficiently to operate the finger 65 also allows the block 38 to drop lower and said jaws I5 and I6 to separate. The block 38 is forced down by the expanding force of the spring 48 (Fig. 3) which carries it downward into contact with the collar 18 on the end of the rod 36 which in turn is fastened to jaw I6. That portion of the filament wire I3 held by the nose 2| of the coiling head 22 remains uncoiled and, as coiling starts, serves to fasten said filament wire I3 to the coiling head 22.

The operation of ceiling the filament wire I3 about the mandrel I9 consists in the rotation of said mandrel I9 and the nose 2| of the coiling head 22 to wind said filament wire I3 thereabout and the withdrawing or retracting movement of the head I8 away from the coiling head 22 to space the turns of the filament wire I3. As shown in Fig. 2, the mandrel I9 is held by the usual form of chuck 1| on the end of the spindle 28 which is located within the hollow shaft 12 supporting the nose 2|. The hollow shaft 12 rides in the ball bearings 13 of the standard 14 and, together with the spindle 28 which is keyed thereto by the screw 15, is rotated by the gear 16. The gear 16 corresponds to a simi.ar gear 16 of the adjacent coiling mechanism and is driven together therewith by the gear train shown in Fig. 6 consisting of the gears 11, 18, 19 and 88. The gear 11 rotates on the pin 8| extending from the bracket 82 which is' attached to the table I2 between the coiling mechanisms I8 and II, and gears 18' and 19 are rotatably mounted on the pin 83 held by the arms 84 and 85 which are attached by bolts to one of the standards 14 and the table I2 respectively. The gear 88 is mounted on the stub shaft 86 which is driven from the cam shaft 53 as shown in Fig. 5 through the gear 81 and the pinion gear 88. Since the coiling operation only takes place during a portion of each cycle of operation, the gear 81 does not have teeth completely around the periphery thereof and pinion gear 88 is not always in mesh. When the coiling head 22 is caused to begin rotating, the gear 81 m in such a position that the dog 89 is just beginning to engage the cam 98 and the teeth of the gear 81 are about to engage the teeth of gear 88. As the gear (i1 continues to rotate, the dog 89 moves ahead and, through engagement with the cam 98, gradually brings the stub shaft 86 up to full rotating speed so that the teeth of the gears 81 and 88 engage perfectly without shock or jar. Prior to bein'g rotated, the coiling head 22 and the gear train are held in one position by a body comprised'of the studs 9| extending from the side of the cam 98 which, as shown, ride on the raised flange portion extending from the cam 92. The cam 92 is attached to the gear 81 and only extends far enough to prevent the cam 98 from turning until it engages the dog 89.

The withdrawing or retracting movement of the head I8, which spaces the turns of the filament wire I3 on the mandrel I9, is caused by an upward movement of the slide 68 and the cams 54 and 55 as the rise portion of the cam 62 passes under the roller 63. During the coiling, the motion of the head I8 is controlled by the cam 54 which has a uniform inclination from one end which fits into a similarly shaped groove in' the cam 54 which show directly the exact pitch of coiling if compared with a master mark 69' on the slide 60.

The timing of the operations is such that the required number of turnshave been coiled about the mandrel I9 when the roller 55 reaches the lower end of the cam 54 and rotation of the coil ing head 22 is stopped. At this time, the pinion gear 88 passes over the toothless portion of the gear 81 and the speed of the head 22 is reduced by the engagement of the dog 94, which corresponds to the dog 89, with the cam 90. The studs 9i extending f rom the cam 90 then pass over the cam 92 and the coiling head 22 is held definitely in position. The longitudinal movement of the head l8 does not end at this point but continues as the roller 51 is engaged by the other cam 55 carried by the slide 60. This motion pulls additional filament wire 13 through the nose I! so that a leg portion parallel to the mandrel l9 isformed on the end of the coiled filament 95 equal in length to that held by the nose 2| of the coiling head 22 plus sufficient filament wire H for a second leg for the succeeding filament. If longer or shorter legs are desired, 'the cam 55 is adjusted so as to protrude more or less beyond the lowerend of the cam 54 and the movement of the slide 59 is not changed. Different length legs require different forward limits of movement of the head it so that corresponding leg portions of the filament wire I3 are carried between the finger .65 and the nose 2| and therefore means.

1 is located. The dies 96 and Si and plate 98 form a cylindrical body which fits snugly in the nose ill.

As the end of the movement of the head it is reached, the knives 99 and lllil (Figs. 1 and 5) move together to sever the straight portion of filament wire l3 extending beyond the end of the mandrel l9. This movement divides said straight portion in the middle so that a straight leg remains on the coiled portion of the filament wire and the desired filament 95is formed. The knives 99 and Hill are mounted on the arms Hill and H12 respectively which are attached to the shafts I99 and H99 respectively and are operated together by the gears W5 and H16. which are located on said shafts I193 and H19 and mesh together. The shafts H99 and HM of the cutting means for each coiling mechanism are supported bythe standard llll which is fastened to the table it and areoperated by engagement of the gears I199 with the teeth of the rack N18. The rack I99 is located in ways in the standard lll'i' and is attached to the plate I99 which engages a slot through the roller i I l.

Following the severing of the filament wire iii,

in cam M9 the finger [65 is raised so that both ends of the coils of the filament 95 which either falls free of the coiling apparatus or is transferred mechanically to a tray or other conveying means. The mandrel l9 which is attached to the spindle 20 is withdrawn by movement of said spindle 20 into the coiling head 22 caused by the lever H2 which engages the grooved collar 3 on the end thereof and which is operated from the shaft 1 l4 carried by the outer end of the bracket 82. The shaft H4 supports corresponding levers H2 of both coiling mechanisms and is actuated through the arm H5 and rod M6 by the means shown in Fig. '5 consisting of the lever. Ill, the roller H8 and the cam H9. The lever llll is pivoted 0n the pin I29 which extends from a portion of the frame of the machine (not shown) and is pulled by the contraction of the spring l2! so that the roller ll'8 engages the periphery of the cam H9. All other operations of the machine have been described except for the return movement of the mandrel i9 which is brought about by the'means just described and consists in a forward move-- ment of the spindle 29 until the spacing collar I22 butts against the end of the hollow shaft 12.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An automatic machine for forming coiled lamp filaments comprising a mandrel, means for advancing an end of the filament wire to a position adjacent said mandrel, a coiling head surrounding one end of said mandrel and aligned therewith, means mounted on the coiling head for gripping said end of the filament wire, means for rotating said mandrel and the coiling head to cause said filament wire to be coiled around said mandrel,

means for engaging the wire being coiled and moving along the length of the mandrel at a pre determined rate with respect to the rotation of the coiling head for advancing the wire therealong to space the turns of the wire as it is being coiled, means for actuating the gripping means on said coiling head to release the end of thefilament wire held thereby, means for severing said filament wire adjacent the end of the mandrel to separate the coiled portion forming the lamp filament from the remainder and means for retracting the mandrel into the'coiling head to withdraw it from the coiled filament.

2. An automatic machine for forming coiled lamp filaments comprising a mandrel, a carriage adapted to be moved toward and away from the mandrel, means mounted on said carriage for gripping an end of the filament wire during the forward movement therefor to position said end adjacent the mandrel, means for clamping the said filament wire end in said position, means for rotating said mandrel together with said filament wire end to cause the wire to be coiled around themandrel, means mounted on the carriage for guiding the filament wire onto the mandrel, means for advancing the carriage along the mandrel to space the turns of the wire as it is being coiled comprising a cam movable in a direction intersecting the direction of movement of the carriage and engaging a portion of said carriage to move it at a predetermined rate, and means for withdrawing the mandrel from the coiled filament.

3. An automatic machine for forming coiled lamp filaments comprising a mandrel, a carriage adapted to be moved toward and away from the mandrel, means mounted on said carriage for gripping an end of the filament wire during the forward movement thereof to position said end adjacent the mandrel, means for clamping the said filament wire end in said position, means for rotating said mandrel together with said filament wire end to cause said wire to be coiled around the mandrel, means mounted on the carriage for guiding the filament wire onto the mandrel, means for advancing the carriage along the mandrel to space the turns of the wire as it is being coiled comprising a cam movable in a direction intersecting the direction of movement of the carriage and having a sloping surface engaging a portion of said carriage to move it at a predetermined rate, and means adjusting the angularity of said cam with respect to the direction of movement of the carriage to change the pitch of the coiling, and means for withdrawing the mandrel from the coiled filament.

4. An automatic machine for forming coiled lamp filaments comprising a mandrel, a carriage adapted to be moved toward and away from the mandrel, means mounted on said carriage for gripping an end of the filament wire during the forward movement thereof to position said end adjacent the mandrel, means for clamping the said filament wire end in said position, means for rotating said mandrel together with said filament wire end about the said mandrel to cause said wire to be coiled around the mandrel, means mounted on the carriage for guiding the filament wire onto the mandrel, means for advancing the carriage along the mandrel to space the turns of the wire as it is being coiled comprising a cam movable in a direction intersecting thedirection of movement of the carriage and engaging a portion of said carriage to move it at a predetermined rate, means for causing the rotation of the mandrel to be discontinued, a second cam also movable in a direction intersecting the direction of movement of the carriage and engageable therewith to cause said carriage to continue its movement upon cessation of the rotation of the mandrel so that a length of filament wire is drawn out parallel to the mandrel, means for severing the uncoiled portion of said wire adjacent the end of the mandrel and means for withdrawing the mandrel from the coiled filament.

5. An automatic machine for forming coiled lamp filaments comprising a mandrel, means for advancing an end of the filament wire to a position adjacentsaid'mandrel, means for clamping the said filament wire end in said position, means for rotating said mandrel together with said filament wire end about the said mandrel to cause said wire to be coiled around the mandrel comprising a coiling head for supporting the mandrel and gripping the said end of the filament wire, a gear for rotating the coiling head, a gear segment for rotating said gear during the coiling interval, a cam connected to the gear and rotatable therewith, a pair of dogs adapted to rotate with the gear segment and to engage said cam just prior to and after the engagement of said gear segment with the gear to cause the latter to be gradually brought up to speed and retarded respectively at said coiling intervals, means for advancing the filament wire along the length of the mandrel to space the turns of the wire as it is being coiled, and means for withdrawing the mandrel from the coiled filament.

6. An automatic machine for forming coiled I lamp filaments comprising a mandrel, means for advancing an end of the filament wire to a position adjacent said mandrel, means for clamping the said filament wire end in said position, means for rotating said mandrel together with said filament wire end about the said mandrel to cause said wire to be coiled around the mandrel comprising a coiling head for supporting themandrel and gripping the end of the filament wire, a gear for rotating the coiling head, a gear segment for rotating said gear during the coiling interval, a cam connected to the gear and rotatable therewith, a pair of dogs adapted to rotate with the gear segment and to engage said cam just prior to and after. engagement of said gear segment with the gear to cause the latter to be gradually brought up to speed and retarded respectively at said coiling intervals, means for preventing rotation of the coiling head during the interval between coiling operations comprising a body extending from said gear and a second cam connected to said gear segment and of sufficient length to engage said body during the interval the gear and gear segment are not engaged, and means for withdrawing the mandrel from the coiled filament.

7. An automatic machine for forming coiled lamp filaments comprising a mandrel, a carriage adapted to be moved toward and away from the mandrel, means mounted on the carriage for gripping an end of the filament wire during the forward movement thereof to position said end adjacent the mandrel, means for rotating said mandrel together with said filament wire end about the said mandrel to cause said wire to be coiled therearound comprising a coiling head for supporting the mandrel and gripping the said end of the filament wire, a gear for rotating the coiling head, a gear segment for rotatingsaid gear during the coiling interval, a cam connected to the gear and rotatable therewith, a pair of dogs adapted to rotate with the gear segment and to engage said cam just prior to and after the engagement of said gear segment with the gear to cause the latter to be gradually brought up to speedand retarded respectively at said intervals, means mounted on the carriage for guiding the filament wire onto the mandrel, means for advancing thecarriage along the mandrel to space the turns of the wire as it is being coiled comprising a cam movable in a direction intersecting the direction of movement of the carriage and engaging a portion of said carriage .to move it at a predetermined rate, and means for withdrawing the mandrel from the coiled filament.

vFRED B. IDEN. 

